Smarty Mom: Tiffany Dahle

I am thrilled to introduce you to this week’s Smarty mom, Tiffany Dahle! She’s new(ish) to town, hails from the Midwest, loves CSP, and has a super successful national blog of her own, Peanut Blossoms.com. If you’re EVER on Pinterest, I bet you’ve seen some of her pins. This girls OWNS Pinterest ;-).

Her blog is full of great recipe ideas for busy moms, photography tips, easy travel ideas, and so much more. We recently met up, put our blogging brains together, and came up with some cool ways to collaborate with each other. We’re so excited she’s going to be doing a few guest posts for us in the coming weeks on all things photography – look forward to those and have fun getting to know Tiffany better! She’s warm, friendly, and outgoing – AND can come up with quick, easy meal ideas like nobody’s business (I LOVE that she considers scrambled eggs (with some yummy sides) a homecooked dinner! Um, it IS! Thank you, Tiffany!!!).Smarties, meet Tiffany Dahle!

Smarty Mom Tiffany Dahle

Smarty Mom Stats:

Married to: Timothy since 2001, we’re a little superstitious and can’t wait for our next anniversary.Children:2 daughters, 7 and 4Years in Charlotte: 2Hometown: Milwaukee, WIAlma Mater: University of Wisconsin — Madison‘Hood: Ballantyne

How did your blog Peanut Blossom come to life? I started Peanut Blossom as a way to share my creativity when I first became a stay at home mom. My work background was in online marketing and I thought it would be a fun way to keep updated on the changes in technology while I raised my babies–a way to keep my foot in the door so to speak. I soon discovered it was a sanity-saving way to fulfill my need to interact with other moms. I love to chat with my readers and learn about the challenges they’re facing so I can write content that helps them make their lives a little bit easier.

What types of things do you like to focus on in the blog? Early on I started sharing the occasional recipe and those posts were always my readers’ favorites. I love to play in the kitchen and encourage other moms to try new recipes that are family friendly and picky-eater approved. I also write about using digital photography to capture your everyday memories, tips for making traditions centered around all the holidays with your kids, family-friendly travel tips, and lots of info about taking Disney vacations.

Some of your posts have really gone viral – what are they and did you even see it coming? My “30 Days of Lunches: No repeats!” was a surprise hit. I wrote it out of my own frustration with that chore before the start of the school year. It obviously hit a nerve with a lot of other moms out there:

From that I learned that moms are desperate for help in the kitchen when they are short on time. I’ve also shared:

How do you come up with new ideas to write about? My readers are a huge source of inspiration to me. I read every single comment on Facebook and I ask a lot of questions. I write with them in mind. Come join our chats at www.facebook.com/peanutblossom

What’s the hardest part of your work? Balancing family and work. Since I write about the food we really eat, my family has had to wait while I take pictures of more than one meal. It can get stressful trying to get the shot quickly while they’re all shouting for food!

What’s the most rewarding? When I get comments from readers telling me that the recipe they tried was a huge hit with their family or that I’ve saved them time or that they tried a new special tradition with their kids. Knowing I’ve enriched someone’s daily life in some small way makes it all worth it.

What are your goals for the blog? I used to write a lot more about photography and capturing the everyday than I have recently. Food has been so popular, I’ve lost track. I’d love to refocus and branch out a bit more with useful tips for moms who want to get to know their DSLR or even their cell phone camera a bit better! Now that Charlotte has truly become our home, I’d also love to start sharing a bit more regional information for family travel & dining. We love to go on weekend adventures, so more sharing of those experiences will be coming soon!

Now for some fun stuff to get to know you better…

Favorite thing about Charlotte? The weather! I’m a midwestern native and I still can’t get over wearing sandals in October and February while my family is knee deep in snow back home! It’s the best! But we moved here because the mountains are on one side of the city and the ocean on the other. Best of both worlds!

Best place to have a date night with the hubs? 131 Main has been our go-to dining spot but we’re super excited that Basil just opened up in Stonecrest. Can’t wait to try it since we love the uptown location!

Family’s fave restaurant? We have a sentimental attachment to Duckworth’s. It was the very first restaurant we tried when we moved to the area and we go back on our moving anniversary each year. Can’t beat their booths when you’re dining with a wriggly toddler!!

Favorite app (phone, not food)? Instagram!! No hesitation! I completed a Project 365 there (a photo a day project) in 2012 and it sealed my addiction. I love that it helps me keep in touch with family & friends from all over while exercising my creativity. Now I also use it as a way to share sneak peeks into behind the scenes on the blog. I share the down and dirty messy kitchen type shots so my readers can see I’m not always Pinterest-perfect. You can find me at my new blog profile: www.instagram.com/peanut.blossom

Last book read? “The Husband’s Secret” by Liane Moriarty. Could.Not.Put.It.Down. Finished it in 2 days.

Best day trip with the family? We went to Chimney Rock this summer and it was amazing. Can’t wait to go again!

Family’s favorite Thanksgiving recipe? We can’t agree on a favorite, everyone has their own. For me, it’s just not Thanksgiving without the Pioneer Woman’s Soul Sweet Taters. I wait all year for an excuse to make them.